Former professor emeritus in the Department of Forestry James Kielbaso was found of sexual misconduct in 2018. He was stripped of his emeritus title in November 2021, MSU spokesperson Dan Olsen said.
According to the Lansing State Journal, Kielbaso was found making sexual advances and inappropriate comments toward a student. He is one of four retired professors and administrators at MSU who kept their emeritus title after violating sexual misconduct policies.
Former professor emeritus Thomas Vogel and Charles Steinfield lost their emeritus titles in May 2021. Emeritus assistant vice president for operations William Latta kept his status because the university knew of his misconduct before granting him the title, according to LSJ. MSU is looking at potential changes to this policy.
"These instances can be triggering for some members of our community and we recognize and understand that," Olsen said. "We want to make sure that they are taking care of themselves with appropriate resources of support."
MSU recently launched a new campaign to support survivors of sexual assault. Resources can be found on the Support More website.
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